Forgotten
by TsukixnoEvernight
Summary: Aisha lives in a life where her only family member is her father, who only abuses her. At school, she is a loner and nothing more than a shadow within a crowd. Until she lashes out at a person with crimson hair and ruby red eyes. Then, her life takes a plunge; whether it be good or not, depends on the memories she holds and cannot forget. Genres may change.
1. Chapter 1 - Life

**Chapter 1**

* * *

~ Life ~

* * *

She kept her face placid, calm, stony. Emotionless. She was used to this continuous torture of not being able to be herself, the continuous torture of others trying to meld her into something she wasn't. "I said no." Her voice was hard.

"What is WRONG with YOU?!" Her father raised his hand. The next second, her face was against the wall, her cheek smarting from the stinging slap. Glancing up, she saw that he was furious, breathing heavily. _Nothing is wrong with me,_ she longed to retort. _Everything is wrong with you._ She didn't utter another word, though. It wasn't as if she was afraid of him or physical abuse. She just had more important things to do than waste her time on this futile subject again.

"Get out of my sight, you spoiled brat," he spat. "You deserve nothing."

More than glad to go up the stairs, she pulled a rectangular lump out from the folds of her dark purple hoodie. Her iPod's black floral designs glittered in the dim light as she pressed a small, circular button at the bottom.

She reached her room; careful not to slam the white door, she closed it behind her, without breaking the silence. Just as she reached for the earbuds on the nearby nightstand, she felt something roll down her face. _What the-_ Reaching up tentatively to touch it, her hand came away wet.

Several emotions battled within her in the moment it took for her to figure out that it was a tear. Panic, fury, rage, shock...but no sadness. She was only mad that she was this weak to randomly break down after something she was used to her entire life. _Why am I crying over something so stupid? It's been happening for over ten years, why would I cry now? The hell?_ She snatched the bat earbuds from the stand and stuck them in her ears, sifting through her list of songs for anything, anything, to make her forget her life through the rest of the cold, cold night.

* * *

Aisha remained as unnoticeable as possible, but in a sense, it only made her stand out more. The hood covering her pigtails and her eyes, she was seen as a dark figure, a loner, who walked the halls.

She could've cared less; she knew no one, and no one knew her. Anytime someone polite or friendly tried to start a conversation with her, she just ignored them. She wasn't meant for kindness or pity. Her life thus far contained neither of those; from age three, her mother had left for another man. Her father turned into a half-drunken, half-crazed beast. By now, she was done with those emotions.

"-yeah, I'll be right-" Most of the time she kept her head down, but managed to get around without hitting anything. But Aisha was so absorbed in reliving her memories that she forgot to concentrate in front of her.

Her head softly hit into something; or someone. She lurched back, her hood sliding off as she looked up to instictively apologize. But that was an instinct from a long time ago. She kept her mouth shut and held her amethyst gaze with that crimson one.

Instead of the "sorry" she expected from him, he said, "Watch where you're going next time!" Normally, Aisha would plaster that blank face on her and walk on, shouldering the matter off. Something in his tone, though, ticked her off inside.

She lashed back just as harshly. "Tell that to yourself. You weren't looking either. It was sudden of you to open the door, barge out, ram into me, then expect me to see that coming."

His eyes narrowed at her. "Sure. I have better things to do right now, so I'll just drop this subject and leave." He left without another word, down the way she had come from. She stared after him until he rounded the corner and disappeared from her sight.

_Damn. It's not like me to strike back_. Uttering an internal sigh, she saw that the room she was standing in front of was the one she was assigned to. As she shoved the door open without a drop of hesitation, all conversation stopped and a blast of silence met her.

_Doesn't this always happen. There was no need for me to actually think it might've been different this time. _Several pairs of eyes-emerald, aqua, topaz, hazel-followed her as she crossed the front of the room to an unoccupied seat by the window. As the murmurs slowly came back, she glanced nonchalantly outside.

The azure sky was wide open, unblemished without clouds. From the classroom's position within the school, she could see the blacktop below. Maple trees, swirling with red, orange, and golden leaves, dotted the edges of the vast green field beyond the asphalt. A small puff of white caught her eye; it was gone in a flash, carried off by a gust of wind. But she had seen it. The snowflake-like top, the fragile stem, the tiny brown seed._ A dandelion puff._

Just then, she spotted someone exiting the building. It seemed puny due to the height of the school, but she recognized it. _That boy, huh?_ Aisha turned away from the window just as the teacher flew in in a mass of celeste blue and sapphire.

"Students, stay silent and get seated." Her cyan eyes flickered towards her. "Be like Aisha Darktear." She didn't twitch at being picked out, at standing out, but at the mention of her last name. She hated her father, and her surname made her related to him. Caused her to be tied to him. "Where is Elsword Runesiege?"

_The guy down there doing who-knows-what? _She yawned.

The room stayed silent. Aisha twisted around to stare at the clock ticking away on the white wall. _Eight o'clock._ "I see. I saw him earlier in here today. I have to mark him tardy on the first day, then." As someone rose their hand to speak up, Elsword burst into the class.

"Elsword Runesiege. You are tardy by forty-five seconds. Go to the office and recieve a slip before you even think of sitting back down." Aisha was impressed, in the slightest. This teacher was so swift, firm, efficient, like she had done this a million times. "Now that THAT matter has been resolved, it's time to introduce ourselves. My name is...hm. Scratch that. I don't want formalities in this room. Just call me Vanessa. For this entire year, I'm your math teacher."

One by one, all of the students introduced themselves. A few names stuck inside her mind; Eve, Edan, Penesio, Lacher, Rena, Speka. She dreaded her turn, but it came soon enough, snapping her out of her haze. She pushed her brown chair away from the beige desk and stood up, trying to keep her gaze away from her black jeans and onto the air in front of her. "My name's Aisha...Darktear..." Aisha couldn't bring herself to say anything more. There was nothing more for her to say. She had one hobby other than listening to music, but she preferred to keep it to herself. And mentioning her father; that wasn't worth it at all. She sat back down and listened to Vanessa's math principles before the bell blared everyone out.

The rest of the day was so similar that they blurred together in her memory. Each time she said "Darktear," a bitter feeling ran throughout her. She payed enough attention to remember her teachers' names: Vanessa, Camilla, Allegro, Helen, Lento, Stella. Math, Physical Education, Chemistry, Arts and Crafts, History of Elrios, and Japanese. When the final bell called for all of them to be dismissed, she shot out of her seat and dragged her black messenger bag along.

She slid her hood on again; before, she wasn't allowed to, due to the "hats and hoods off in the room" rule. The field seemed welcoming to her as she separated from the crowd. The moment she stepped off of the blacktop and onto fresh grass, she let her voice drift. No one was near her; she was out of earshot.

"_Nagareteku toki no naka de demo_

_ Kedarusa ga hora guruguru mawatte_

_ Watashikara hanareru koto no mo_

_ Mienai wa sora shiranai-_"

"Your voice is nice." A whisper floated on the breeze, reached her. She whipped around, strands of purple hair obscuring parts of her vision. But the color of crimson told her all she needed.

**And daz the end of the first** **chapter of ANOTHER series I'm making. .w. I don't know, though. Might be discontinued, might not be. Lol. ANYWAYS. I hopedchu enjoyed it? O-O It was rushed. Like. No details at all. D: So I'll be re-editing this soon(er or later XD ). Any guesses on the song, anyone? :3**

_Thanks all that came to read! :D_


	2. Chapter 2 - Illness

**Chapter 2**

* * *

_~ Illness ~_

* * *

She tried to wipe the memory of him hearing her sing. She remembered feeling her eyes widening, then stalking away later.

Aisha decided to take a shower; if anything could settle her storming thoughts, water could. Just as she reached for the silver cross that hung from her neck, a shock of confusion jolted through her. Her fingers grasped thin air, where the chain was supposed to be. When the realization hit her, she was already checking her entire body for it, panicking.

_I can't have left it at school. It was under my jacket. I never take it off._ She didn't really know why it was precious to her. Maybe because it was something that had nothing to do with her life; nothing to do with her family, her memories, her past or her future. It was one normal thing that she could hold on to without feeling sadness, rage, or pain. And that was why it had become part of her.

She swung the door open and heard it slam behind her as she dropped down the stairs. Her father, a mess of dirty blankets and clothes, drowsed on the old leather couch. A tuft of tangled brown hair was all that could be seen beneath the covers.

Aisha didn't bother being silent. _That man sleeps like a pig. Wish he could be one at times, so I wouldn't have to deal with staying with him._

She was out of the house in a flash. The sky, so blue and clear before, had turned stormy and was an angry shade of grey. As she retraced her path back to the school, her eyes were searching all over. Looking for signs of the edges of the cross within the swaying grass, signs of a chain on the dull cement. She didn't know why it caused her so much despair; only that she had to find it.

She heard it before she felt it. Lightning forked in the sky, momentarily blinding her. Thunder resonated throughout the neighborhood as the first drops of rain pattered onto the ground around her. She stood there, not wanting to move, not wanting to breathe. The clouds cried their tears out as she let the liquid fall on her. She felt the rising urge to sing in this, then pushed it down. _That's what you thought last time. _The rain started to seep into her clothes, clinging to her delicate frame. She sniffed, trying to contain it, then sneezed. _It's gone now,_ something inside her mind whispered.

_Just another memory to be forgotten..._

* * *

When she awoke in the morning, a cough escaped her lips. _I can't get sick now. Not now._ Her trip through the rain the previous day had taken its toll on her. She felt frozen to the marrow, her bones were creaking, and her constant light shuddering didn't help. Pulling herself out of her barely-warm bed, she checked to see if her father was still in the house.

He was gone, but he had left a mess for her to clear up, causing her eyebrows to furrow.

In the middle of the kitchen were several large pieces of broken glass, with the suspicious shade of forest green that indicated it was from a wine bottle. A sharp smell from the mess told her that it was, indeed, wine. She growled softly to herself as she bent over to pick up the glass, then dragged a trash can over to dispose of it. Now that the more noticeable pieces were gone, she had no idea what to do with the smaller fragments. Their rackety house didn't have a broom to sweep them out. Aisha tried to pick one up, but was rewarded with a pin prick of pain and a droplet of scarlet. _Screw this. I'll just leave this and let him step on it when he comes back._ She tentatively licked the cut before rushing over to the rusting sink to wash it clean. Without glancing at the old black grandfather clock that had started hooting, she flicked the droplets of water from her hand and hurried to school.

Vanessa greeted her with a nod of her head when she entered the room. Before she was even seated, she had started writing several words on the whiteboard in different colors. "Sine is the trigonometric function equal to the ratio of the side opposite of a given angle, in a right triangle, to the hypotenuse." While she went ahead to explain and write down the definition of cosine in orange, Aisha stared down at her open notebook. Memorizing the definition of both terms and scribbling them down in the first page, she proceeded to doodle in the top-right corner. She thought for a moment, hesitating on what to draw. Then she figured it out.

Aisha watched her hand grip her pencil, create curves, lines, shadings. As she outlined them in a shade so dark it seemed black, her lead snapped and skittered across her desk, dropping onto the tiled floor below. Glancing up to see if Vanessa was disturbed by the distraction, she looked back down at her doodle.

It portrayed her in a short-sleeved dress with ruffled edges. Her hands were outstretched in front of her, cupped as if her fate was falling into them. Her face was tilted towards the unseen sky above, her eyes full of some landscape she was caught in. But where she was tracing her fingers was where the lead had broken. It left a stray, ugly mark on the once-unblemished hands, ruining the dream.

She left the girl, herself, there on the corner. It would tell her everytime she sat down and opened this notebook that her fate would never be decided by her own free will. That this drawing would never become true, like it was originally hoped to be.

"Aisha, define cosine," the trigonometry teacher suddenly said. She moved her eyes up, towards the board, and noticed how she had erased it. But it wasn't as if she hadn't listened to her at all. "Cosine; the trigonometric function equal to the ratio of the side adjacent to an acute angle, within a right-angled triangle, to the hypotenuse."

"Thank you for paying attention, taking account that you even did a small sketch there." Aisha smiled slightly; Vanessa was sharp and hadn't missed a single detail.

Throughout P.E., she had to muffle the coughs that racked her body. Even when she was running, she lagged at the back.

During Chemistry, Allegro stressed out several rules and theories. Elsword dropped a vial containing an unknown liquid and was sent to the infirmary with a swelling hand.

At some point in Arts and Crafts, Helen bent over her to peer at her drawing of a girl crossing her legs on a staff with an axe-like blade. A small figure was suspended in the air next to the girl, looking suspiciously like a bat.

When the students filed in for History of Elrios, Lento struck an epic pose with his foot on the edge of his desk, declaring that the Nasods had been too dependent on the humans and did not survive the war because of that. Ignoring the joking tone within his voice, someone named Eve in her class sent him reeling back with a red mark on his face. She, of course, received no consequences.

In Japanese, Stella started with numbers. "Ichi, ni, san," she said, writing them in romaji on the board. "So what is san minus ni?"

"Estacxz terrestiom namera keliaste-"

"Thank you for saying 'I am being very sarcastic' in Elfin, Amelia," she cut in. "You take Japanese, you stick with it. No point in taking it and then end up speaking another language that no one understands."

Amelia grew flustered, apparently realizing she had accidentally started speaking in her foreign language. "H-Hai! G-Gomenasai!"

"That's much better. The answer was ichi. Three minus two equals one, for those smartasses out there. Now, continuing on. What is..." Aisha's vision swam as she zoned out on Stella's voice. She had to fight to stay awake and continue staring blankly at the board, but it was getting harder every moment. Just as she was about to raise her hand and ask to be sent home, the bell interrupted the teacher and let them outside.

She stumbled into the corridor, her hand sliding along the smooth white walls of the hallway. It hurt to walk, hurt to breathe, hurt to think. When she pushed the door open to exit and flee home, a hand snatched hers. "Miss, where're you going? That's the gym..."

"Wait, what?" Her voice was raspy, and she couldn't project it any louder.

"That's... You-" A cough interrupted him as he pulled her towards the school gates. The boy looked back and saw that the hand she had coughed on was smeared in blood.

"I...I'm-fine." Her words shook as much as her body. As if to prove her point, she straightened and walked outside.

Aisha took slow, measured steps. _Almost back to the house, _she attempted to convince herself, even though she knew it was a lie. _Just a few more steps._ The world around her grew hazy; she felt like she was overheating.

The boy caught up to her and saw the unmoving purple heap on the ground. "Miss!" He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up. _I don't remember seeing her last year. Is she someone new? I can't take her to the nurse either; she just left the school. I can't take her home...but...ah!_

* * *

Aisha blinked her blurry eyes, finding something wet slapped across her forehead. "What the..." She shook it off and lifted it up to see that it was a towel. And in the background...

She sat up abruptly. The walls weren't peeling their beige plaster, the bed wasn't lavender, the floor was carpeted in soft grey.

This was not the old apartment she lived in. It was too nice to hold that man she had lived with all her life and despised every single moment.

_Whose house is this?_

_**I'm sorry that this is short. That this chapter was bad and boring. TT^TT (Well. I think it is. In fact, when I reread them, it makes me uninterested because I already know what I wrote. .w.) Oh. Yus.**_

_**Shoutout to reviewer **xColorlessQueenx** for being the first to say the previous chapter's song name: Bad Apple! ^o^**_

_**And here are my replies to my reviewers~! :DDD**_

___**Kuro Hano:**_ Thanks! :D Because sometimes I don't know if I put too much detail or not enough. And that was the first verse of the song Bad Apple.

_**BlAxDiA:** Thanks, too! ^o^ I hope you enjoyed this chapter, actually! :3_

_**Hospes:** Sure! XD The classes are as following: Lord Knight, Void Princess, Wind Sneaker, Blade Master, Code: Battle Seraph, and Deadly Chaser._

_**RubyCrusade/RC:** OAO WUT. YOU GOOD WRITER TOO! I love your ideas, especially since I'm getting none at all due to writer's block...*slumps in defeat* You make me nutella too~ (Lol sorry if you don't get it XD Jelly and nutella! :D )_

_**xColorlessQueenx:** You got it! Bad Apple! C:_

_**Reaper53:** I'm trying! XD Although it might just abruptly pause, cause...writer's block...;~; But I'll try to continue this Elsword x Aisha fic! ^o^_

_**Elsha lovers:** Yerp! :D And interesting pairing name, Elsha...o-o I likez it! :3 Yep, Bad Apple is right! Who'd have thought so many people memorized the lyrics...0-0 But, anyways. The classes are: Lord Knight, Void Princess, Wind Sneaker, Blade Master, Code: Battle Seraph, and Deadly Chaser. Hope you enjoyed this chap! XD If not...feel free to tell me anyways... ^^""_

_**Guest:** OAO Thank you! TT~TT That compliment means a lot to me, because I have like virtually no faith in my writing at all. XD_

_**xX Sybella Xx:** :o ! Perceptive! You'll see what it means later on in this fanfic~ Thanks for the compliment! :3_

_**MarioFireRed:** LOLOLOLOL What, you want me to do a college fic instead? XDDD First to say Aisha was VP~! Well. Bat earbuds. Gives everythin' away. .w. And I'll see what I can do for Elsword and her father... *evil gleam*_

_**Seraphic Nightmare:** Yus yus, it ISH Bad Apple. .w. I never listened to the English version...should try that sometime. And I'll try my best to continue this..~ :D_

_**An0n Author:** Woah! OAO Nice! You learned it on guitar? I have no instruments, so I can't do much... Thanks for the compliment on the first chapter! ^o^_

_Next question: Who carried Aisha? Remember, there's not only the original six, but there's also the epic NPCs in there! _

_**And to all those who're reading...**_

_**Thanks as always! :D**_


	3. Chapter 3 - Things To Come

_Shoutout to An0n Author for being the first to guess that it was Chung! .u._

**Chapter 3**

* * *

_~ Things to Come ~_

* * *

She pushed herself off of the bed and tottered onto the soft floor. Her feet carried her towards the white door before she clicked it open.

The white tiled floor was unbelievably clean as she silently stepped onto the smooth surface. The hall branched into two ways, but she just went straight ahead. _Maybe this is the house of that boy who tried to talk sense into me?_ She twitched her nose slightly; there was a suspicious smell of burnt food. _So the person here doesn't know how to cook either...?_

Gentle morning light pouring in from the glass windows caused her to blink her still-dreary eyes. It washed over the whole sparkling kitchen with a warm aura, giving the whole section an unbelievable effect. Unbelievable for someone who only knew the definition of a house as "dirty" and "old" and "creaky."

Subconsciously rounding the corner leading to the living room, she was still awestruck by the house's beautiful interior when she spotted a lump on the unstained black couches. Her first thought was _Father_, then _What the hell._

She carefully walked towards the disfigured lump that was covered in a white blanket. Aisha slowly bent down to inspect it before cautiously lifting a hand to tug the sheets up.

His face was softly framed by red bangs as he slept. His expression was peaceful, unperturbed, carrying no signs of his harshness from before. She stared at Elsword, frozen in spot, several thoughts wrestling to emerge into formed words.

Before she could open her mouth to say anything to herself, dull crimson eyes opened up. She scrambled back to crouch behind the table centered in the middle of all the surrounding seats.

"It's glass, you idiot." His voice was tinged with weariness as she heard the couch groan from the weight being lifted from it.

She whipped around and glared at him, trying to find something smart to snap back. He beat her to it. "Before you say anything else, just know I didn't randomly kidnap you and stick you onto the bed. I have done no raping or whatsoever." He gave her a pointed stare. "All I did was give you medicine for that damn cough and the crazy fever."

"What... You want me to say thanks?" It slipped out before she could stop herself. But the words "thank you" had always been difficult to come to her. Because of that-that-what...was that...that had caused her to stop being appreciative?

He caught the faraway look in her eyes that he often saw whenever he was watching her and instantly walked into the kitchen. "No, who would want thanks from you, anyways?" He made sure she heard the smirk in his voice before he contemplated about breakfast. It seemed that taunting and provoking her were the best methods to keep her from turning distant.

She was a dark spot against the white wall, like she was hugging the corners. "You can't cook." Her voice was smug as she waved at the air, indicating the smell of his failure at dinner last night.

"Shut up. That was an accident. You started muttering stuff in your sleep so I had to check that you weren't awake and suddenly mental or something." That was only the partial truth. He never had a talent for cooking in the first place, but she wouldn't figure, now would she?

Surprisingly, the girl had no snappish comeback. Instead, she asked in a soft voice, "What did I say?"

Elsword paused, strangely considering if he should lie or not. 'I would usually just spill... The heck am I thinking about lying for?'

"Just...about convenience store food." It was out of his mouth before he knew it. 'A lie.' She raised an eyebrow, which fit her attitude quite nicely, before shooting him a look that told him he was also a failure at lying.

"Whatever you say," she muttered, striding over to him. "Who brought me to this rapist's house?"

"I'm not a rapist!" he protested immediately. "Besides, it was Chung. Dusty-blond hair, ocean blue eyes?"

"Tell him to not bring me here next time."

_Really hell-bent on not being nice for once, huh?_ The fridge spilled its pale yellow light over him as he peered inside the silver appliance to see if he had anything left to eat.

Emptiness stared back at him.

He felt her presence behind his shoulder. "Nothing to eat eith-" She coughed. Instinctively worried, he spun around and was rewarded with a, "Shut up."  
Scratching the back of his head and uttering a "Geez," he soundlessly led her back to his bedroom and made her sit down. "El, don't think you can do whatever the hell you want after-what was your name, Aisha?-after you wake up, Aisha. It's called being sick and staying in bed like a normal person should." She glared at him icily with cold amethyst eyes before turning her back to him.

She watched Elsword facepalm in obvious frustration before she heard him walk out the door. Letting out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, Aisha plopped back onto the clean-smelling mattress and felt small tremors constantly attack her body. _He's right,_ she thought. _I'm still sick._ She put the back of her hand over her forehead and caught sight of the stain on the other side. _Holy El, I coughed up blood?_

The girl stared at the crimson smear on her hand before standing up again to wash it off. The cold liquid poured over her palms, carrying the maroon essence along with it. The water reminded her of something; what was it? The rain from before... And before that...

Aisha sighed and locked the door behind her before peeling her sticky uniform off. The turquoise plaid tie yanked on her neck, and she reached up to stop it from strangling her when her fingers brushed across her bare skin again. _My cross..._ She frowned slightly, freeing her hair from their restrained pigtails and stepped into the shower.

The metal shower head rained her with warm droplets that slid over her body. Despite the crazy mess she had gotten into, it still calmed her unlike anything else. With the water rushing down on her, she felt like it was stripping her of her darkness. Even though it would never be removed.

She lost track of time as she sat there in the shower, her hair dripping and plastered to the sides of her face, thinking over her life and bleak future. A loud knock slightly rattled the chestnut bathroom door, interrupting her peaceful thoughts. "I got us some food to eat, you might want to get out before I eat it all!" His voice reached her through the patter of the water. She opened her mouth to reply back in a snippy tone when her stomach answered for her.

Reluctantly shutting the shower off, she climbed back out to see the whole bathroom shrouded in steam. Aisha wrapped herself in a white towel from the rack and left her damp purple hair down.

Elsword spotted her coming out of the bathroom, still wet and not even bothering to dry herself off. "You're not even going to change into clothes?" He raised his eyebrow at her.

"Why, what's wrong?" She blinked those eyes of hers, sounding severely sincere.

"Nothing," he flatly said. "Just that someone's not going to eat anything if they don't get some clothes and dry their hair." He nodded at the diversity of food that was spread out on the glass table.

Without him knowing, Aisha felt a flood of relief wash over her. Not convenience store food. Even though she knew Elsword hadn't really meant that she ate convenience store food every day, she did. She had to. Because that bastardous drunkard at home didn't know how to make food, or even money for the matter. Just sat there, passed out on the couch, or out drinking some more liquor. The smell even permeated the air of the house, and the wind that blew in from the windows did nothing to drive the sour stench away.

"Well?" He stared at her, seeing the hunger spark in her eyes. And something else. Something he couldn't grasp, but familiar. It was as if he knew it, yet didn't. He let go of the matter and saw that she had disappeared back into the bathroom. The hair dryer's sounds blasted throughout the whole house, along with the shuffling of clothes being messily tugged on.

He kept his smile hidden when she came back, looking windswept, despite the lack of air currents. Aisha had one of his shirts on unbuttoned and donned a pair of black jeans along with that violet jacket of hers. Instinctively leaning forward across the table to button it for her, he found his hands slapped away. "Let me eat first," she said. "Buttons can wait."

He had only eaten a quarter of what he bought when she ate the rest. Both of them sighed softly and clambered on the couches, far away from each other. She hugged her knees, staring into space again in some other world that he couldn't possibly fathom. He just simply laced his hands behind his head and inspected the plain ceiling.

"What did those words mean?" he asked out of the blue. It had been nagging him for a while. The tone of the song she had sung didn't give much meaning away.  
"You're learning Japanese. You might as well pay attention and figure it out yourself."

"You got me there," he admitted. "But...

"You sure you don't want to tell me how twisted your life is?"

She tossed him a bitter glance. "Hell no." It must've been a pretty bad life, he reflected. To morph this girl into something she probably wasn't and wouldn't have been. "I-"

Another painful cough cut her sentence off. He rushed over, feeling strangely protective, and picked her whole body up "bridal style." She was too busy coughing to even resist to his hold, which he found quite worrying. Elsword had already thought of her as the fiercely rebellious and independent type, and she wasn't even struggling against him now.

"What kind of-_:cough:_-sickness is this?" she managed to get out irritably as he set her down on the bed.

"An I supposed to know?" he snorted back. "Hold on; let me get Chung."

"Why would we need him?" she said as he reached for the phone. "It's not like-"

Another cough.

"Is there any blood?" he asked, feeling like he shouldn't turn around to see as he called his friend. He had never been good with these situations. If only she was here...

"No. Not yet."

"Not yet?" He sweatdropped at her pessimistic tone when a gentle voice crackled, "Hello?"

"Hey Chung. She's practically hacking up a lung again. And she says, 'No blood. Yet.'"

"I was just hoping it was a simple cough." Chung sounded disappointed and even more worried for the girl lying in bed than he was. "Guess you're going to have to carry her to the hospital then."

"What? Why me?"

"Cause you're there, that's why."

He bit back a harsh response and sighed dejectedly. "You're going to regret this."

"It's probably just pneumonia, but if you don't get her over, you're paying for her funeral." The slight threat was a misplaced one; Elsword had always believed that threats with death were more than likely able to carry truth behind them. His whole family had succumbed to the silence of death, and left him alone...

...forgotten.

"Nothing serious, eh?" He kept his voice light as he picked the girl up. She didn't stir from the force of him pulling her out of the comfort of the sheets, so he glanced at her. She was barely conscious, just holding on to a thread by the way she was still coughing.

"Ready yet?" His friend's voice held an almost innocent tone to it. He didn't know what it was for, but he ended the call and threw the phone onto the mattress before Chung could hear his response.

"Better be waitin' for me, I'm not gonna go and then look stupid with this idiot in my arms..."

* * *

"See?" Chung smiled at him. At that moment, he resembled a girl more than anything else. "Just pneumonia."

"I didn't say I didn't believe you," he muttered, turning away from him. The Seikers were professional doctors within this hospital, after all. Elsword wasn't surprised if some of the medical education had gotten to him.

He got up from his comfortable position on the bench when the midnight black door that admitted patients swung open. A furious aura emanated from inside, originating from a short figure with tousled purple hair. "Why'd you bring me to the hospital?!"

He glared irritatedly at her. "So you weren't gonna die, Sh-"

She had grabbed him by the white collar of his shirt and shoved him against the wall. "Yeah, so I wasn't gonna die. You think I'm gonna be alive when I stay at home? Sure, thanks for keeping me alive just to die later on," she spat. He stared at her with his wide bloodred eyes, still feeling the impact of the cold wall against his back.  
"Wait, Aisha, what-" Aisha stormed off irately, clenching her teeth together. _Who the hell does he think he is, taking me wherever he wants! Now I've got nowhere to go and he'll want to know why I wasn't there to clean up after his filth!_ The rage had taken in instantaneous turn from Elsword to her father. The girl didn't want to admit to herself that the time spent at that obnoxious boy's house were more pleasant than the days before. She continued muttering incoherently to herself before she noticed a disheveled form outside the hospital. Aisha slowed her steps to a halt, focusing on the dark shape and feeling a sharp pang of dread.

Her father smiled, his horrid features melting into what seemed like a pained grimace. "My daughter, come home with me. We don't have to live like this anymore. I got the money. I got the money." His voice, luridly clear unlike his usual slurred speech, portrayed nothing about his state of mind. His eyes were depthless, looking somewhere else. "Come, come." He grabbed her wrist with a fearfully strong hand, wrenching her away from her frozen spot. "We can live somewhere else now." He kept jabbering on, as if he were chanting strings of words over and over again. They barely made sense to her, but the sight of the car he was dragging her to explained more than the man could.

It was certainly not their old, battered up and wrecked one. It was a-a Ferrari? Bright red in gleaming color, flawless coating, and perfect in condition...doubtlessly a newly bought one. What had he been swooning about? Money?

How'd he get it?

"My luck, yes, it got better, so much better! One chance at the lottery, and I hit it!" he cried ecstatically as he swung the door open.

She sat hesitantly in the car, taking in the smell of oiled leather and the freshness of the inside. It was all jet black: the seats, the sides, the trunk. The engine revved, and even then, he was ranting on. She realized then, that when her father was heavy on the wine and beer, he acted like a normal drunk. But when he was off of it, when he was somewhere in the high heavens in joy, he acted like a...like a lunatic.

Dread and fear were clashing with the strange rising of curiosity. She observed his every actions, and they certainly weren't ones from the only parent she knew. The car was amazingly steady on its drive, despite a half-mad man behind the wheel. She didn't know what to make of it, this surreal scene unfolding in front of her, so she stayed silent and kept her gaze fixated out the window.

Then he asked her a question that threw her off. Their eyes met in the rearview mirror, both shockingly sharp in amethyst. "I'm sorry for all those horrible things I've done to you. I wasn't thinking right-no, I'm going to face it. I did them because I needed to vent out my misfortune on someone. Can we start over again?"

She stiffened. Start over again? Was he mental? Did he really think she was going to trust him again after all that?

In all truth, she wanted to believe him. So she didn't have to live like this anymore, and actually know the sense of having a real parent. The horrible tug in her chest strengthened. But the instincts she had developed every time he raised a hand on her were a part of her now. She wouldn't forget them, couldn't forget them; especially the bruises and marks all over her body where he had injured her.

The thought of having a refreshed start was tempting, but she shoved it heartlessly aside. "Start over?" she echoed. "How can I start over with a parent who's been drinking half of his life away, beat his wife out of the house, then turned on his only child? His child, who, more or less, actually supports the whole house now with the meager amount of money she salvaged?" Her voice nearly cracked and caught in her throat, making the unfinished speech seem final.

She should've seen the glint in his eyes, heard the slight change in his tone. But she had been cornered in the next question that left his lips. Those questions that she hated, because she had no answer to them.

"But where can you go?"

**Ahhhh~ I'm finally writing again! I actually liked the prospect of this story a lot too, and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to continue it. D: And then, yesterday, I got really mad at someone...so I picked this up and started typing. My inspiration comes more from emotions and life than anything else. :o So if it's fairly calm and not so turbulent in my life, my writing is less vexed up LOL. Anyhow, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! :D **

**My replies to my beloved Chapter 2 reviewers ~**

_An0n Author:_ Nice guess on who that was! xD And that's a lot of songs you're attempting to learn (or already know how to play.) I don't have an instrument, so I really only have my horrid voice. ._. I'm trying for the piano though! I know A Tale of Six Trillion Years and a Night! OAO That song's awesome! Wish I could hear you play. T^T Unless you plan to upload it on YouTube someday and send me the link, which I'm doubting yet hoping you will. .u.

_Elsha Lovers:_Haha, not Elsword! xD Chung, as announced up at top. OAO And I know... I'll make her father die too... *^* :evil glint in eyes: Anyways, your friend makes some nice pairing names! o-o And I just realized what I did: LK x VP. It was originally RS x VP LOL but somehow LK won over... ._.

_Seraphic Nightmare:_LOLOLOLOLOL NO NOT EDEN OMFG :laughs self to death: QuQ That was so funny, I'm sorry, you're just the best mistress of randomness ever... xD And Chung is just polite. :3 Not sure about mature. o-o

_Guest 1: _:o Thanks! Even though you've probably forgotten who you are... :'D I don't care, I'ma still reply to this! *^* I'm sorry I updated so late, reader! :bows repeatedly in apology: T~T

_Reaper53:_ LOLOL not the best, not the best quite yet! xD

_Guest 2:_ I know! x3 I was actually intending him to be Rune Slayer at first! OAO But change of heart. So...unintentional troll? x'D Hm. I never thought about the necklace! THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME ANOTHER IDEA! QAQ :kneels down: T^T Arigatou~! And indeed, Chung! xD

_Hospes:_ Chung AND Elsword~! ;D

_RubyCrusade:_ Yes, yes, RC, we all know how you don't like LK because he is so bland and unoriginal in fanfics. x3 I mostly use RS; in fact, I planned on using RS until a sudden change of heart. I dunno why. OAO But, I'm starting to write some fics with IS in it, so more Infi-chan blossoms! :DDD :throws handfuls of them into air: Yeah, sorry about my huge delay! xD Thanks for the compliment, and I read... I'm very sweet? .u. :does not understand the word "sweet" because "evil" is the only thing that's swarming in the mind at the moment: Mweheheh... *-*

_Rosamanelle:_ LOLOLOLOL SAME FOR ME NELLE~! :high fives: My self-esteem sinks too LOL. My turn. YOU WRITE SO AWESOMELY WELL TOO! QuQ I suck at cliffhangers; hopefully this one was more successful. Cx :takes your sparkles and stuffs them in a pocket: :D I'll save them for later! :steals your hammer: I'll take that too...eheheheheh...jus' take it, you know, borrow it...and like nevar return it... xDDDD

**Thank youuuu, everyone else, for reading this meticulously slow update! xD I'll throw in the next chapter as fast as I can, sorry for the huge delay! QuQ**


	4. Chapter 4 - Chances

**I was on a hiatus for a long while due to my inability to think up some better ideas, and I was dying so much because of it. x_x But I tried a hand in Fullmetal Alchemist fictions and failed miserably. :3 Can't say I'm not proud of my failed effort though, LOL. Anyhow, my attempt left me with a bunch of plot bunnies, so now I'm back with another much-needed chapter of Forgotten! ;D**

**Chapter 4**

* * *

_~ Chances ~_

* * *

Aisha crumpled moodily into her seat for science, setting her backpack down with a restless grumble. The conversation with her father yesterday still bothered and ticked the shit out of her, but she attempted to hide it beneath her rough demeanor. Not many people noticed her anyways, so it wouldn't make a difference if she was mad one day and depressed the next, right?

She snapped her lead a total of three times while taking notes for chemistry, lost her eraser again, and even ran _out_ of lead because they had been crushed into several small pieces from her heavy hand. She gave an irritated sigh and reached into her backpack for more when a pack of it dropped on the black desk in front of her.

"Here," he said, giving her a pointed just-take-it stare. Although it seemed like a kind gesture to the rest of the students, Aisha alone knew it was just to ask her what happened yesterday. And no way in hell was she going to give it to him.

"Um. No thanks," she tartly replied, pushing it away from her. When her hand withdrew from her backpack, another mechanical pencil was gripped in it. "I have my own."

Allegro, at that moment, decided to start their first lab of the semester. "The materials set in front of you-" He made a gesture at all of the graduated cylinders, beakers, and unknown colored liquids around the classroom desks, "-are to be tested upon as instructed in the packet I am about to hand out. This is a partner lab, so the lab report will affect the two of your grades. However, you're not going to choose your partners. Neither am I." At this, he gave a smile. "The person standing closest to you is going to be your partner."

The purple-haired girl's mind process skidded to a stop. _Partner...is the person...closest to me...?!_ She whipped her head to glare openly at Elsword, who was slowly raising his hand to cover his face.

_I thought I'd get to use this to my advantage, but...! This is...just not...going to be fun..._ While the rest of the classroom found themselves desks, the two of them, one scarlet and the other violet, locked eyes and made no signs of moving.

Elsword bit his lip and carefully lowered himself into the seat next to hers, as if she were a feral animal that needed to be cautious of. The lab papers were thrown casually at them by Valak, who flashed a grin at him. He ignored the cocky playboy and began to assemble the equipment.

"Aisha," he finally said after several minutes of unsettling silence between them. There was obviously something wrong with her, like she was a brewing pot of undying rage. Beneath the surface of the deep, he saw several emotions that he couldn't name, and so he bundled it up and summed it as frustration. But the question wasn't what; it was why.

"What," she snapped at him. "What do you want."

"Just tell me what happened y-"

"Hell no." She was gritting her teeth now, holding herself in check. She couldn't let herself go on a rampage, because somewhere inside, she knew it wasn't his fault. But that didn't make everything his business, did it?

"Listen, Ai-"

This finally hit a chord. She was done, done with this shithead who thought he was helping her by prying into private matters. She was sick of this stupid guy who thought she needed help when she didn't. It was these kinds of people that made her lose her patience and get horribly mad. "No, YOU listen. I'm done with you. I don't need your crappy help or shit or whatever. I'm fine on my own, so I don't see a reason WHY you're poking into my business like it's yours. It's not. Okay, so you've brought me to the hospital. I could've done that fine by myself, but you just blow yourself all big and take me instead. Okay? I don't-"

"Shut up," he said, his crimson eyes narrowing dangerously. He had never met someone so completely rude, unthankful, snobby, and a part of his mind even added the colorful word of bitchy. By now, the entire class had overheard them and was listening to their conversation, but that was barely noticeable in the background. He was rarely ever angry, but this girl... "You think you're all that, you think you can do everything by yourself, you don't accept help like it'll kill you if you do. You're human, you got that? You're going to break down sooner or later if you don't take support. And worst of all, when you do take it, you act like it never happened and don't even thank them afterward."

"And what do _you_ know?" she snarled, slamming her palm onto the table while her other hand jabbed an accusing finger at him. "Do you know what I'm thinking? Do you know what I'm feeling? No, cause otherwise you wouldn't be asking!" She gave a dry laugh. "You're human too. You can't read my mind."

"I do know," he suddenly said in a quiet voice, eyes downcast. "Cause I've seen this happen before. When someone is too stupid to take help and leans on themselves as support until they crumble. My sister died drinking a poisoned bottle of vodka." There was no further explanation on what happened to make his sibling do that, but to Aisha, it was the clearest. This, she finally realized, was relatable. Her situation was one that he had been in before, more or less.

And thus, the burning fires of Hell were doused with a torrent of relentless waves.

* * *

Of course, the commotion the two of them had stirred up caused quite a distraction, and distractions were not tolerated in school. Allegro sent them outside for a bit, which Aisha was definitely glad for. She was feeling albeit normal now, although she would never admit that it was Elsword who helped her through an argument.

A rather pointless argument, she reflected now. A stupid one.

They said nothing; they had no words left for each other. The clouds above seemed to take the moodiness from her; the clear sky before had turned into a rather stormy one. The sunlight couldn't pierce through the gray above, leaving everything else on the ground dull. Dirty cement. Dimly lit classrooms amongst the science block. Even the flourishing school gardens' poppies seemed like they were sadly painted with a dusty orange. This didn't look bright for Aisha's walk home, but it also had it's good sides; she didn't want to go home. Not to where her sudden father was residing, where it wasn't just bottles and bottles of liquor anymore. The change was just too significant and surreal to her that part of her still believed it to be a lie.

And, how was she supposed to respond to that retarded suggestion? "Let's start over again"? There was almost no way in hell, but a mansion was certainly better than the sidewalk. Over the years of dealing with that demon in the house, she accumulated a different way of thinking so that she would be able to survive; think for yourself and prioritize yourself first. This, too, hadn't left her along with her instincts.

But the choice was still there. She almost wanted to tear her hair out, for life was just needlessly complicated. This was the reason why she had accidentally picked a fight with Elsword, and although she would never say it, she felt guilty for doing that to him.

So the best way to stall upon that decision was to use the rain as an excuse to being late to home. Hopefully by then, she had an answer. A proper answer that she approved of.

* * *

"Stupid rain," she muttered darkly to herself. Her shoes were sloshing through the muddy puddles, soaked all the way. So much that she didn't even care anymore.

She was swearing in her mind the entire time she picked her way through the now-barely recognizable pathway to home. Once-peridot stalks of grass that lined the path had been flattened and stained a murky brown. The downpour was much worse than she had originally thought, and she didn't even have an umbrella to block most of the drops out. She ended up looking like a cat with its fur plastered all over its body, what with her clothes sticking to her.

Aisha finally found a dry spot amongst several trees that had interlocking branches, which greatly improved her mood. Setting her backpack down on the blanket of fallen pine needles, she proceeded to make herself comfortable on the log beneath the trees. She was too wet to actually sense the dryness, but it was there, and that was all she needed.

The drip-dropping sounds of the rain soothed her frayed nerves. She hated to actually think upon it, but that arrogant red-headed boy's words were reasonable. It was another insight on life, and-once again, unable to admit it-she was grateful to him for stretching out a hand when no one else did.

Slowly, a song was drawn out of her; it happened frequently when she had nothing to do and when no one was around. It was like she was singing for herself, in stead of the mother that had never sung lullabies for her.

She dimly remembered making this song with someone else, but her memory was extremely fuzzy when it ventured back into her early years. At one point in life, she had wanted to forget those times, and she had done a pretty good job at it. Now, she barely had any account of what happened.

The girl could only think of the name of the song: "Until the Rain."

"_The snow fell,_

_One by one,_

_As the rain I was_

_Waiting for_

_Did not come._

_Where were you?_

_It had been past an hour,_

_Where we decided to meet._

_The wind blew silent farewells_

_To the last of the sunlight._

_Where were you?_

_The snowflakes dropped_

_One by one,_

_Like unheard voices._

_And here I am,_

_Singing proof of those_

_Who cannot sing_

_For themselves,_

_Singing melodies for those_

_Who cannot see_

_The white white of the sorrow,_

_The bright light of the sun,_

_And here I am,_

_Singing for those_

_Under the silver sky,_

_Waiting,_

_Waiting,_

_Until the rain falls..._"

The rest was wordless. She couldn't recall the rest of the lyrics, only the first verse and the first chorus. It puzzled her as to why, but she dismissed it as gap over time.

Silver? Slowly turning around, she was met with an amber gaze.

This girl, what was her name? She thought of the other day with a hint of amusement, for it was this girl who slapped Lento for speaking about Nasods. "My name is Eve," she reintroduced herself. "I have come on the behalf of the dimwit standing behind that tree."

Aisha craned her neck to glance past her shoulder and saw.

Elsword.

"What does he want?" Her tone was more tired and weary rather than annoyed now, he noted.

"He wishes to apologize but he is not manly enough to say it."

_EVE!_ Elsword banged his head against the bark of the tree. He had never told her to say that; Rena probably would have at LEAST made the meaning less embarrassing. Truth be told, he had never made anyone angry or sad or irritated (with the exception of Eve), and so he usually didn't have to apologize. They usually forgave him under normal circumstances. So the term apologization was actually a bit difficult for him to act out on, especially with someone who he snapped out on and told about his sister.

"Say, Eve." Elsword raised an eyebrow; he didn't expect a conversation from her. He shifted into a more comfortable position, crossed his arms, and leaned back on the tree. He was going to wait this out.

"Yes?"

"He's an annoying brat."

"Yes, I must agree with you."

He facepalmed.

"He's stupid, irritating, and shameless."

"I will not deny that. It is what he is."

He straightened up.

"He's extremely girly, you know?"

"It is a relief that I am not the only one who has noticed thus far."

He banged his head on the tree again.

"I think he'd look good in pink."

"Yes. Let us turn that into a dress with laces and frills. It will be perfect, hm?"

He heard Aisha laugh. _That girl...!_

"So? What did he want to say, but was unmanly enough to?"

"Please do not interrupt," which was a strange thing for her to say. Aisha stared at her, prompting her to continue. "He said..."

She relayed it to her.

He waited for a reaction, and was handed with none.

Elsword immediately got out from behind the pine tree and was face-to-face with her. She gave him another glare and stalked off, but not before he caught the words, "Stupid retarded idiot."

"We have made a promise," the silver-haired Nasod said next to him. "I trust you will keep it?"

"Right, right," he sighed exasperatedly. Mechanics and their materials. "I'll bring you out to get your supplies and equipment next week."  
"Correct." She appeared satisfied and even smug before she added, "Good luck, Elsword Runesiege."

It took him a moment to let that sink in, but by then she had already left.

"Hah? What's that supposed to mean?"

* * *

After another shower, she threw some comfortable clothes on and stepped out of the porcelain bathroom. Their new little rented apartment (the mansion was in building next door) consisted mostly of black, white, and silver. The floor was checker-tiled with black and white, the table was a metallic silver, the couches were a midnight leather, and so forth. Speaking of which, her father was on the couch.

She approached him in a nonchalant manner, hoping to appear as casual and not too uptight. He glanced up from the book he was reading before folding a corner of the page and putting it down. "Aisha? What's the matter?"

She had thought about this. She would make sure that she said it damn right, just like he did.

_ Life is a chance. But it only is if you give it one._

"Father." She chose her next words carefully before saying,

"Let's give you a chance to start this over."

* * *

**I hope all of you enjoyed that! :D I'm sorry if it seems a little rushed, I started this chapter at 1 in the morning and finished at 3. 2 hour chapter. :P But I think the fluff will begin to pick up after this, neh? ;3 I'm not going to do review responses on here anymore (because I don't want half of a chapter to be just responses) so I'll start using the PM review reply system! c: **

**Thanks for reading again! ^^**


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